Parents Up in Arms With Headmaster

A SECTION of parents and guardians of Kumasi High School (KUHIS) has drawn the attention of the Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to alleged exploitation of students by the headmaster.

Students who stand up against this practice are reportedly threatened with dismissal, the concerned parents complained in a petition to the Regional Director (GES) copied to the Asantehene, Board of Directors, the PTA and the Chronicle.

They explained that last year the headmaster sent home students to collect ?108,000 being the total cost of five English books.

Three of the books, which cost ?17,000 each, namely "Animal Farm", "Things Fall Apart" and "Marriage of Anansewa" are meant for students who offer literature in English as a subject.

Surprisingly, the purchase of these books is made compulsory for both Arts and Science students in spite of their irrelevance to their course of study.

The aggrieved parents stated that investigations had revealed that prices of the said books are inflated because the books sell between ?6,000 and ?8,000 on the market.

By their calculation, the parents suspect the headmaster had made well over ?20 million selling these books compulsorily.

"If this is not extortion (exploitation) what is it", they queried. The parents have also objected to the supply of two other books - "Best Guide to Success in English Vol. 2" and "English Grammar for SSS Vol. 1" at ?28,000 and ?27,000 respectively on grounds that the said books are not prescribed ones.

They questioned when SSS3 students (with only five months to write exams) would finish with the volume 2 and go back to volume 1 of the book if that could be.

According to the petitioners, exploitation is part of the headmaster explaining that last year around the same time (second term) the headmaster introduced and compulsorily sold two useless books by a Ghanaian writer resident in the USA to all 2,000 students at ?80,000 each.

Even though some of the students were not supplied with the said books their monies were not refunded.

The parents would, therefore, want the authorities to take appropriate steps to probe the activities of the headmaster.

The complainants see the headmaster's attitude as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the government's efforts to cut down cost of SSS education.

They suggested punitive sanctions against him if found guilty of the offence of over-burdening parents financially in these HIPC times", through exploitation.

"This is a clear disregard for the NPP government's zero tolerance for corruption".

Some students Chronicle spoke to attested to the compulsory sale of the books but Headmaster Mensah has tersely denied the allegations, saying they are not true.

He denied the allegations of threats of dismissal of students who object to the sale of the books at exorbitant prices.

The headmaster also said prices of the books are quoted by the suppliers and publishers and that there was no way he could have inflated it.

In a spirited defence, Mensah also said "Literature in English" was compulsory for all (Science and Arts students alike) to broaden their scope of knowledge.

Until the Chronicle enquiries last week, the headmaster did not find it necessary to react to the compliants of the concerned parents because neither the GES and PTA nor the Board of Directors, who had been copied, had queried him aboput the allegations.

He only believes it is a planned work to find fault with him and get him out by some parents whose wards have been sanctioned in one way or the other for indiscipline and poor academic performance.

Mensah said, however, that he would cease to sell books to students as from next term because his efforts at raising students standards are not appreciated by both students and parents.